


One Good Deed

by ladyfeather



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Yamane Ayano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:54:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1950660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyfeather/pseuds/ladyfeather
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akihito is a rockstar; Asami is an aging rockstar who wants to write Akihito’s songs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Good Deed

**Author's Note:**

> All characters except for Zeke Moyama are the property of Yamane Ayano. She graciously allows us to play with them.

**One Good Deed.…**  
A solitary figure stood on the shore line; his long raven hair swirled around his face while the Hawaiian shirt fluttered in the sea breeze. The cut-off jeans were caked with sand from where he had previously been sitting on the wet beach. The air was scented with the smell of the sea, salty with a touch of marine life. Standing there no one would recognize him as Ryuichi Asami, known more commonly as the Superstar Midnight, lead singer/guitarist of the rock group Hours. 

He finally had the time to enjoy the quiet at a secluded getaway. Time to relax and breathe. Things he never got to do before until he retired. Living on the road with his band for thirty-odd years wore him down, and eventually started affecting his health. He wasn't surprised that his wife hadn't stayed with him for long. But now, now he had the time to try to make things right.

_A serious rock star's life isn't easy. The fans think we just come in to town, play the gig, party 'til dawn, then move on to the next town. Not so. There are times when you are trying to locate the equipment that suddenly has gone missing between there and here. There are too many people with their hands out because something got broken, something was missing, something was overlooked when they made up the bill. Then there is the dealing with the promoters, who always want 100% of your time. And your manager – he too wants 100%. Between the two of them every spare moment you have is booked to do something, often something you really don't want to do. But you do it – you do it because it's part of being the superstar; it keeps you basking in the limelight which makes the money you don't have time to spend, it placates the fans who spend their hard earned money on your music and buy the tickets to your shows and all that merchandise with your name on it. But all that money didn't buy me happiness or tranquility – far from it. All I ever wanted was to write songs and play them to make people happy and forget their troubles for a while. The fame and fortune tainted my happiness._

As he wandered back to his beach house his thoughts returned to an idea he had in the back of his mind. He may be retired but he wasn't totally out of the music scene, he never would be. He still played his guitar regularly – nothing outside of death could take that from him, and every now and then the group got back together to do an impromptu jam session. But he had an urge to write songs again, but this time for someone else, not himself. Let someone else gain the benefit of his talent. He had been approached several times by other singers wanting a collaboration with him, but he had always turned them down because he didn't feel they had the talent to do his works justice. As he entered the home he picked up his cell phone from the side table. Perhaps his old friend and manager could suggest someone talented enough who could use a boost.

#=#=#=#=#

"Ryuichi! What a surprise! I haven't heard from you in eons. What's up?" Zeke Moyama was a thin, wiry man, full of life and energy. His looks belied his 60+ years, and he was one of the best managers that Rocket Recordings had. At the moment he managed four of the top ten vocalists in Japan. They were quite a handful too.

"Sure, I have time. How about Thursday for lunch? The usual place, 2PM?" After a bit more idle chatter Zeke hung up the phone, smiling happily. Maybe he's planning a comeback tour. I wouldn't be opposed to that at all. The phone rang again and his thoughts reset to present problems.  
The 'usual place' was a small soba shop, down a narrow side street, in a very quiet, middle class area. It was not an area that one would expect to see popular personages or superstars. Zeke had managed to arrive first and after finding an acceptably secluded table ordered lunch for the two of them.

Even he had to look twice when Ryuichi entered and removed his sun glasses. He was dressed in an outfit that made him indistinguishable from any common man on the street. Even at 55 Ryuichi had a trim figure and the jeans and matching jacket he wore fit very well. The only indication that he was into music was the fact that he was wearing an Hours T-shirt.

Zeke stood and motioned Ryuichi toward the table. "You look quite different with that goatee; I guess retirement has been good for you. It is definitely hard to recognize you without the leathers, studs, and makeup - even though you haven't cut your hair. Though isn't it kind of chancy wearing that shirt?"

Ryuichi shook Zeke's hand before sitting down and replied, "Nope, everybody thinks I'm a copycat. I've even heard some of the comments. It's quite entertaining to be able to honestly hear what others think, although the 'old hippie' comments do tend to irritate me a bit. There's not a single grey hair on this head."

Zeke laughed at the last comment. "Oh? Only your hairstylist knows for sure, I bet. Anyway, I've already ordered for you; ah, here it comes." The waitress placed two large steaming bowls of soba noodles on the table for them, along with a pot of tea. With a slight bow she then left.

With some light conversation they ate their meal, and when they settled on having the tea Zeke asked, "So why did you want to see me? Are you planning a comeback maybe?" A hint of anticipation tinted his questions.

Ryuichi chuckled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, I'm not doing a comeback. I told you that five years ago. I'm done with entertaining; if anything I want to stay behind the scenes, and you know why. Right now I want to write songs again, but I need someone to write them for. You know how particular I am in regards to talented singers – do you have anyone with the right credentials that might be in need of some assistance in that area? And maybe in need of a guitarist?"

Zeke pursed his lips. "This isn't anywhere near what I thought you might want to talk about. I was really hoping for a comeback tour, but if you want to be a songwriter again, then that's close enough to getting you back in the groove as I can hope for. Give me a few days to sort through our future hopefuls files. I'm sure I can come up with a few candidates for you. A guitarist too, eh? So you're finally going to feed your protégé to the wolves?"

Ryuichi nodded and smiled. "That's all I can ask of you. Give me a call when you get a list assembled and we'll screen them together. And you know that the decision to go public will be all his, not mine. I will support whatever he wants to do. Now, how's the family and kids – and those grandkids that I've heard about."

#=#=#=#=#

Akihito sighed in exasperation. He'd been at it for hours and nothing was meshing. Either the words were there or the music, but neither matched the other. His small group, Rampit, had a bit of success with their first album and Rocket Recordings had offered them the chance to record a second. But he couldn't get any new songs on paper that he liked – everything he did manage to put to paper sounded too much like the first album. He needed some new blood to infuse some life into the music, and neither of his two band-mates was very skilled in song writing. The pressure was building since the deadline for album submission was nearing. He had to come up with something soon or they would lose that coveted second album.

He glanced at the clock – 11AM already. He'd been at this for over 24 hours with nothing to show for it. He wadded up the latest failure and threw it at the clock. The phone rang just as he decided to catch a quick nap before starting again. 

He sighed. Please don't let it be a bill collector. Putting on his best smiling voice he answered, "Takaba residence. Whom may I say is calling?"

A cheerful voice answered, "Aki - Zeke Moyama from Rocket Recordings. How are you today?"

Aki winced, he probably wanted to know when the demo tape was going to be sent. Hoping to appease him he replied, "Ah, just fine Mr. Moyama. I've been here working diligently on our next album. I hope to have the results pulled together for you very soon."  
Zeke understood what Aki wasn't saying, knowing that his instincts were spot on about this group. "That's good. But I have an interesting bit of news for you. Do you know Midnight of the rock group Hours? He has a proposition for you, and would like to meet you at your earliest convenience."

Aki was floored. Midnight? of Hours? Who didn't know Midnight. He had to admit even he was a fan of Midnight's. He stammered, "Uh, me? What does he want with me? How does he even know about me?"

Zeke laughed. "Oh, he knows all about you, and to get any more information than that you'll have to meet with him and ask him personally. You game? It would be in your best interests."

Suddenly Aki was no longer tired. His curiosity had hit overload. "Sure, I'd be very happy to meet with him. You can't give me a hint or two, can you? Like why he wants to meet me?" 

"Nope, can't do that, I promised. But don't worry, it's nothing bad. In fact, if it works out I foresee a great future for you. So, when can you take a day or two off to travel?"

Doing a mental check of his less than spectacular appointment schedule he answered, "We've got full day rehearsals for the next few days but none set in stone after that, and our next show is in three weeks. So how about the beginning of next week? In fact, I can be free for all of that week if necessary."

"Oh, that's even better. Pack a bag for an overnight trip and dress for the beach. You'll be meeting with him at his beach front home in Okinawa. I'll get back to you with the date and flight times. We can meet at the airport, OK?"

Aki's mind was in confusion. Midnight of Hours. Okinawa. Overnight stay. This had to be a dream, or he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. Coming back to the present he coughed, "Yeah, sure, I'll meet you at the airport, about an hour before departure sound good? Do I need to bring anything? Recordings, sound tracks, guitar?"

"You don't need to bring anything except your open mind and your guitar. I'll get back to you in a day or so. And don't worry – it's all good." At that Zeke hung up.

#=#=#=#=#

Zeke had rented a car since it was an hour's drive to the house from the airport. Aki made use of the time trying to wheedle out of him the reason Midnight wanted to see him. Zeke was sharp and teased with hints but did not give out any definite information. Aki finally realized that he was getting nowhere and gave up. He spent the rest of the time discussing Midnight himself: what he was doing since he retired; was it health related like all the newspapers said, is he dying or something? He had left the music scene so suddenly rumors ran rampant, from the totally extreme to simply 'just had enough'. If you could think it, it was one of the rumors. 

Zeke fielded the questions with professionalism: Midnight was enjoying life like he couldn't do when he was always on tour; yes, health reasons did figure into his retirement, but no, he was not on his death bed - he was perfectly healthy. It was mainly stress that forced him to retire. That and a family issue.

Aki was not ready for the mansion that was Midnight's home. The estate was closed off with a rattan fencing that added to rather than detracted from the property. Once inside the gates several buildings stood out. The main house was one sprawling level and huge; one whole wing was nothing but glass walls surrounding a sauna area and an indoor pool, probably for use during the rainy season. There were four smaller buildings off to the one side nestled among some trees, probably guest houses, and what looked like a four car garage.

Zeke pulled up in front of the main door and let Aki out before pulling the car into the garage area. Aki was still taking in the sights of such a huge mansion that he didn't realize Zeke had returned and jumped when Zeke asked if he was ready to go in.

The interior of the home was as impressive as the exterior. They had entered an expansive living area filled with the latest in electronics, from the huge flat screen TV that almost totally covered one wall to the computer niche occupying the far side of the room. The furniture was ultra-modern and fit well with the openness of the room. Rattan ceiling fans circulated the cool air through the room, and the colors were natural tones – shades of tans and leaf greens, with off white carpeting and walls. Zeke motioned for him to follow as he crossed the room.  
Aki stopped as he passed the one wall; a portrait mounted there had caught his eye. It was of a beautiful lady, but there seemed to be a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Zeke noticed that he had stopped and came back to stand beside him. "That's Midnight's wife. They only lasted a few months but he loved her very much. In fact, he still does. They are friends now, but one of his life regrets is that he couldn't make it work. Too much road travel, too many tours, too little time for personal feelings. Take heed of this; once you make it to the top your personal life won't exist any more. 

Putting his arm around Aki he said, "Come on, he's waiting in his studio for us," and guided him toward the door on the far wall.

"Studio? He has his own studio here?" Aki was amazed.

"Sure, where do you think he practices? He hasn't given up the guitar; that's a lifelong love of his." Glancing up to the bulb over the door he replied, "The light's not on so he isn't recording. We can go in. Just leave the door open a crack."

The studio was so unlike the room they had just left that it didn't look like they were in the same building. There were no windows, the walls were made of a sound-proofing material, and electronics covered almost every square inch of available wall. Several keyboards lined one wall, while a full drum set sat opposite, waiting to be used. Microphones hung from the ceiling as well as stood in front of instruments. A glass case held about a dozen guitars, all recognizable from various Hours tours. Unable to constrain himself, Aki made a beeline to stand in front of the platinum inlaid ebony guitar, Midnight's trademark.

"Ah, I see the boy recognizes my icon. I didn't think him old enough to remember me."

Aki turned to see Midnight standing about six feet away, holding another guitar in his hands. He was dressed quite casually, jeans and an Hours T-shirt, much like the one he wore when he had met with Zeke several weeks ago. His long hair was pulled back in a pony tail that reached halfway to his waist.

"Oh, Mr. Asami, I meant no harm." Aki bowed in respect to the older man. "I am Akihito Takaba, one of your fans. Your talent is not admired by only one generation. Your guitar has guided me through some rough spots." Although Aki looked calm on the outside, his stomach was still letting him know exactly how nervous he was being so close to such a legendary performer.

Midnight laughed. "Please, call me Midnight. After so many years being known as Midnight I don't know how to respond to Mr. Asami anymore. Come, sit over here by the mixer table with me. Just set your guitar down over there."

"You say you are a fan. If I count correctly, I would have retired just before you started on your musical career. How old are you?"

Aki placed his guitar and moved to sit next to Midnight. "I'm 22. I was just starting to play in coffee houses and small private parties. I was too young for clubs, and I only could play on weekends still being in school. I know all your works though. You and your group are a legend."

Midnight murmured to himself, "Two years older," then turned his attention back to the young man.

"I know that Zeke has explained that I have a proposition for you, but specifically gave you no details. I'll get straight to the point since you've puzzled over it long enough. You are struggling with your song writing, correct?" He could see by the look in Aki's eyes that it was true. "What I propose to do is to help write some songs for you and your group, anonymously at first, then maybe adding my name later. I don't want your rise to success to be credited to my influence. You deserve all the credit for any success you have."

Aki looked bewildered. "Why me?"

Midnight smiled. "You have an excellent voice, one that should be heard by as many people as possible. But no matter how good someone is, if the right choices don't come around, they'll never get anywhere. You remind me of myself when I started out. I too had an established musician aid me when I most needed it. I want to return the favor."

Aki smiled as he heard the sincerity in Midnight's words and instinctively knew that he was speaking honestly. It calmed him to see the openness in his face.

"There is also a catch to this offer, but one I think will benefit us both. Your group is strong, but as a singer and guitarist myself I know that you need another guitarist. That way you can concentrate on your singing and not have to worry about carrying the music at the same time. You don't want to stretch yourself too far. Now it so happens that I know a guitarist that I would like to see get ahead with the right group. And your group has what I'm looking for. I've trained him myself so I know that he won't let you down. What do you say?"

Aki seriously considered his offer. Yes, there were times he wished that they had another guitarist, but they never found one quite right for what they wanted. Midnight, although a lead singer, was an excellent guitarist for his group, but they had carried a second guitarist to ease the load. The offer was getting better by the moment, but still….

"When it comes to anything dealing with the group we all have a say in what goes down." Aki would not make any definite agreement without his band-mates approval.

Midnight sensed the hesitation. "Agreed, and a wise policy. If for some reason the guitarist and your group don't hit it off, my offer will still stand. If you want, I will assist you in finding an acceptable candidate, for I truly believe you could improve immeasurably by having a second guitarist. I fully understand that the camaraderie of the group is the most important part of success. So, would you like to meet him and hear him play?"

No matter how Aki looked at it, he couldn't find a reason to reject the offer. Shrugging his shoulders Aki replied, "Sure, when can I meet him?"

Smiling, Midnight replied, "This is why I wanted to meet you here in the studio." Midnight turned and called toward the door. "Come on in, I know you're standing out there, waiting."

The door opened and a younger version of Midnight stood in the doorway, carrying a guitar case. 

"Aki, I'd like you to meet my son, Ryuichi Asami, Jr."

Aki's jaw dropped. No one knew that Midnight had a son, much less one old enough to be aiming for a music career. He had to be close to his age. The rumor that Midnight had been married was never proven, and it had also been rumored for years that there was a child, but no one could substantiate either the truth or the lack of it. He had his father's face, down to the golden eyes. Aki could see no signs of his mother in his features at all. He was a damned good looking young man.

Midnight turned to Aki and said, "I apologize for my brashness, but I was so sure you would agree to this that I had Zeke contact the other members of Rampit and invite them here too. They will be here tomorrow. I have three guest houses; you can use any or all of them you like, each houses four adults easily. Your band-mates can stay with you or choose another to stay in - I'll leave the decision up to you. My studio is at your disposal to use; to see how well you get on together. Both Koh and Takato can use the drums and keyboards I have here. They are top-of-the-line so they should have no difficulties adjusting to the new equipment. My old group members have no problem with them. I know a guitar is a bit more personal; that's why I asked that you bring yours along."

Midnight turned to his son who had been busy plugging in his guitar to the necessary equipment. "So, are you ready for your first solo with your new group?"

#=#=#=#=#

The kid was damned good, Aki felt that he might even be better than he was. All of Midnight's training showed in his skill. He had a style that blended well with theirs, almost as if he were trained to join them. Perhaps he had; he didn't know how long Midnight had been training him for another group, or even how long he had been following their group.

When he had finished the piece, something Midnight had written just for Rampit, Midnight and Zeke left to attend to some other matters in the living room, leaving the two young men to get acquainted.

Aki complimented him on his skill, letting him know that he had no objection to his joining the band. He then asked, "Do you have any experience with other groups? Do you have another name you go by? I think if you used your real name you're going to be swamped by fans just wanting to meet your dad."

"I tried on my own to get started and had no success; just one mediocre group after another. That's why he was so particular in choosing a group for me to join. He didn't want to see me with a bunch of degenerates or worse. He didn't spend all those years training me to have my talent wasted with a bunch of deadbeats that would have little concern for their careers other than a road to a perpetual party. He wanted to see me with dedicated musicians that would help further my career as well as their own."

Ryuichi nodded in reply to the last question. "As to a name, Dad and I discussed it, and like you we believe that I should use a pseudonym, at least until I'm found out, and I will be eventually – these golden eyes are a dead giveaway. I was thinking about Shadow, and I could wear black all the time? What do you think?"

Aki laughed to himself. "I think we can worry about that later, though the name isn't bad, once we get settled as a group, You still have to meet Koh and Takato, but I don't see any problems. They trust my judgment."

Ryuichi sighed. "Dad did a lot of research for this. Once he found your group he knew it felt right. He showed me all the tapes he had of your performances to see if I approved. I did, and, well, here we are." 

Ryuichi fidgeted, playing with his fingers before finally folding his hands in his lap. "Um, there is one thing that I think you should know; I'm gay."

Aki turned to face him. "Does your father know?

"He knows. I was the reason he retired. I was hospitalized from a beating given by a bunch of homophobes. Luckily they didn't know who I was or it probably would have been worse. Mom was always very careful to never link ourselves with Dad. But once he found out what I was going through he felt that he had neglected me when I needed his support the most. That's another reason he wanted a respectable group for me. Will it bother you or the other band members?"

Aki shook his head. "Nope, not me, I don't judge by things like that. And I doubt the others will mind." Aki suddenly had a thought. "Uh, you're not one of those that hits on everybody, right? You don't look like the type."

Ryuichi laughed. "No, I'm not aggressive, although if anyone, I'd aim for you." He averted his eyes and there was a hint of a flush on his face.

Aki's eyes narrowed and an eyebrow rose. "So, I'm your type?"

Ryuichi hung his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But yeah, you've got a good personality – I could see that in the videos Dad has, and you're really cute too." The flush had graduated to a full blush.

Aki smiled and patted Ryuichi on the knee. "Well, maybe given time something good could happen, eh?"

Ryuichi looked directly in Aki's eyes. He wasn't being rejected outright; in fact it seemed that he was being given some encouragement. Maybe good things would come of this. "Yeah, I can hold out for the future."

#=#=#=#=#

Koh and Takato arrived in the early evening of the next day. Aki had managed to contact them and fill them in on the details of why they were coming. Both seemed quite eager to meet the new band member, even though they hadn't even heard one note of his playing. Since Midnight was his father and trainer, they thought how could they go wrong with this kid?

Akihito greeted them at the door and showed them to the guest house they would be using. Aki had chosen the one closest to the house because the other two were further away from the beach, and he wanted to check out the beach at least once while he was here. It wasn't every day he got a free holiday in Okinawa.

#=#=#=#=#

Midnight opened the studio door to the sounds of laughter. The four young men had just finished a practice set with one of the songs that Midnight had written for them, and right at the end one of the guitar strings broke, ending the song with a loud, TWANG. It was a serious song and the sound just set them off.

"I don't remember writing anything that hilarious. Did I miss something in the lyrics?"

The seriousness on Midnight's face just set the group off again. Finally Ryuichi managed to get out, "Sorry Dad, but it wasn't the song. One of my strings broke at the wrong time."

Midnight smiled, he knew that something else had caused the laughter; it sounded so good to hear such a happy emotion being expressed in his home. Too long had the home been just a house, someplace to sleep when he had the time off from a tour, to recoup what energy he could before setting out once again for several months. Once he retired he had moved Ryuichi here, not only to train with him but to get reacquainted with the son he had so badly neglected.

Now there were others that could share this place with him. The band would always be welcome here. He started thinking about group jam sessions with the rest of Hours and Rampit. Maybe in the future even a special one-night show with all of them, once Rampit became popular. Zeke would like that.

"I'm glad to see that you are getting along well. I would have been disheartened if all my hard work was for naught." He had a melodramatic look on his face with prompted his son to flick his guitar pick at him. "Humph! Some gratitude. I get you a fine job and you throw things at me. I know when I'm not wanted here."

The rest of the group quickly asked him to stay and listen to them, to let them know if there was anything they could improve. Midnight consented and after several songs joined them in two of his favorite songs. For the first time in a long time the joy of performing filtered its way through to fill his spirit.

The young men practiced at Midnight's home for the next two weeks, until they only had a few days before their next show was to be held. By this time they had decided that Ryuichi knew the lineup well enough to be introduced as a new member, Shadow. He was an instant hit with the crowd, and the new songs got rave reviews from all the music critics, although a few did note some similarities to a retired superstar. The climb up the stardom ladder had started.

They had a few weeks before the next show and they all decided to go back to Midnight's place to practice. Aki and Ryuichi were planning a new guitar solo Midnight had written specifically for the two of them, and they were spending quite a bit of time together. Over the weeks Aki had started to grow fonder of Ryuichi, leading him to believe that perhaps there was something more than friendship between them. Aki had never really found anyone that he cared for, so these feelings he was having were all new to him. They had been practicing for several hours straight so he suggested that they take a break and walk along the beach for a while.

There was a closeness growing between the two, and Midnight had noticed it. Standing in the darkened living room Midnight watched the two silhouettes on the beach gently kiss. As he thought, Aki was as interested in Ryuichi as Ryuichi was interested in him. Raising his glass of wine toward the portrait of his wife he whispered, "I don't think our son will have our problem. If this works out he will be able to travel with his love no matter where they go, unlike us. Let's wish them luck."


End file.
